Early Morning Beach Walk

Early Morning Beach Walk      8 x 10    Acrylic     ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $150

It's worth getting up at 6am at the beach!

I must confess I am not an early riser to say the least. We were staying at Myrtle Beach with our family. While they slept, I awoke at 5:50 am and thought that I might really be able to sneak out of the house without waking the household. That's a bit brave for me to go out alone in an unfamiliar place. Yet the sunrise was calling and I had to do it. I was rewarded with a breathtaking scene, worth every second of more sleep. One of God's light shows began to unfold before me. For me, it was a spiritual experience...a chance to be in the presence of my Creator.   

I knew that I would need to paint the experience many times. This is my interpretation in acrylic paint. It's impossible to record the whole experience in paint, but it does give me the opportunity to relive the experience. 

Have you had a similar experience?

 Sweet Peas In The Field   8.5 x 11.5   Pastel    Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $150


There's nothing like bringing back memories of another time through sweet peas by the roadside...

The evening sun had cast its warm glow across the field, and I knew then that this sight was destined to become a painting.

I wanted to try UArt 800 grit sanded pastel paper for the first time. Tones of black Inktense stick with water were used to establish values.

Then I used harder pastels (Nupastels and Rembrandt) to begin putting in local color.  I approached tentatively without knowing how many layers of pastel that the paper could hold. I finished the successive layers with softer Unison and Sennelier brands. I was happy with how the paper held many layers allowing detail especially in the foreground flowers. I will definitely use it again. I look forward to trying the coarser grits as well.